Ornamenting metal surfaces



(No Model.)

W. HYLAND.

ORNAMENTING METAL SURFACES.

No. 360,387; I Patented Mar. 29,1887.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC YVILLIAM HYLAND, OF NEXV HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

ORNAMENTING METAL SURFACES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 360,387, dated March29, 1887.

Application filed February 14, 1887. Serial No. 227,526. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H YLAND, of New Haven, in the county of NewHaven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement inOrnamenting Metal Surfaces; and I do hereby declare the following, whentaken in connection with the accompanying drawing and the letters ofreference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, and which said drawing constitutes part of this specification,and represents a plate of metal as prepared for the ormolu or satinfinish bath.

This invention relates to an improvement in the method of ornamentingmetal surfaces, with special reference to brass, and adapted to beapplied to manufactured articles or to the metal itself preparatory tothe manufacture of articles, the object being to give to the ground orto the tracery a granulated or what is sometimes called satin or ormolufinish." This peculiar surface is produced by first finely finishing thesurface of the metal and then placing it in a strong acid, or what isgenerally called ormolu dip, this being a very hot acid-bath. The metalis simply placed in the bath and remains there until the desired effectis produced, then taken from the bath and cleaned. This plain ormolusurface presents a very neat appearance,a11d isa very desirable finishfor sheet-metal articlessuch, for illustration, as metal clock-cases. Ifornamentation has been desired upon this surface, ithas been out afterthe ormolu finish has been produced, leaving the ormolu finish I orsurface as a ground. Such ornamentation,

while it adds materially to the character or appearance ofthe article,is too expensive for many articles of manufacture.

The object of my invention is to produce an ornamentation on a metalsurface, which ornamentation or ground,or vice versa, shall the onepresent the natural surface of the metal and the other the granulated orormolu surface.

It is a common method of ornamenting metal surfaces to apply to thesurface a coating, so as to leave exposed the surface of the metal whichit is desired shall be acted upon by acids or otherwiseas, forillustration, if it is desiredto produce upon a silver-plated ground avine in gilt,the vine is printed or applied to the surface, say, ofbrass, by a stencil, the material used in so printing being any conven-I ient easily-applied non-conductor. This printing or stenciling willleave upon the surface a coating corresponding to the tracery. Then themetal so coated is placed in the bath and subjected to theelectroplating operation, the silver depositing only on the exposedmetal surface, the acid or bath having no effect upon the coating. Thenafter the electroplating operation is completed the metalis taken fromthe bath and the coating removed. Then the original metal appears,andwill show upon the platedsurface the vine of the natural or originalcolor of the metal; or, if it be desired to produce the ornamentation orvine by plating, leaving the original metal as the ground, then theground is coated in the same manner, leaving the tracery portionexposed, and that subjected to the bath and treated in like manner themetal will appear as having a silver vine on the brass or gilt ground.Different metals are treated in the same manner. In an ormolu dip,however, such coatings are not sufficient. The hot acid acts so quicklyupon the coatings that the coating is destroyed hence up to this time nopractical ornamentation of this character has been produced in the satinor ormolu bath; but by my invention I am enabled. to ornament thesurfaceof metals in satin finish or ormolu bath.

' In carrying out my invention Iwill describe it as applied to a flatmetal surface, and, first, to produce upon the metal the representation,of avine, as in the accompanying illustration, I bring the surface ofthe metal into the usual clean smooth condition for the satin finish orormolu bath. Then witha type or stencil representing the vine to beproduced I apply to the surface a coating of adhesive material say,asseen in the accompanying illustration. Then upon this adhesive materialI place a fine metallic or mineral powder, which will adhere to theadhesive surface and so as to cover that adhesive surface and give to ita metallic or mineral surface. This powder may be any of the metalbronzes, or it may be a fine mineral powdersay such as emery-or it maybe a vitreous material, as finely-powdered glass; but I prefer a metalcoating, such as bronze,

' to it a satin or ormolu effect; but the metalcoated surface gives tothe bath something to act upon before it can reach the adhesivematerial, and because the bath has this metalv coated surface to operateupon it can have no effect upon the original metal surface beneath,

it being understood that the metal coating must be sufficient to lastthrough the operation of the bath, as that will beatt-acked in the samemanner as is the original metal surface. After the metal has beensubjected to the action of the bat-h for the usual length of time it istaken from the bath,and then the adhesive material Which held the metalcoating is removed and the tracery appears on the surface in theoriginal metal. Ifit' be desired to produce the satin or orinolu finishupon the tracery, leaving an original metal as the ground, then theground is coated in like manner, so as to I present an extra metalsurface for the action of the batluwhile the bath will act directly uponthe metal on its uncoated portion. The mineral or vitreous coating willproduce substantial'] y the same result.

a flat metal surface will be sufficientto enable others skilled in theart to use my invention in the ornamentation of various articles.

From the foregoing it will be understood that I do not claim, broadly,as my invention, in the treatment or ornamentation of metal surfaces,the application to the surface of a coating to prevent the action of abath upon certain portions of the metal so coated, the essential featureof my invention being the application of a coating of metal, mineral, orequivalent powder to the adhesive surface.

YVhat I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by LettersPatent. is

The method herein described of producing an ornamented satin or ormolufinish upon metals, consisting in first applying to that part of themetal which is not to be acted upon by the bath an adhesive coating, andthen applying to said adhesively-coated portion of the surface a coatingof metallic or mineral powder,and then subjecting the Whole to the bath,and finally removing the coatings from the surface, substantially asdescribed.

\VILLIAM HYLAND.

lVitnesses:

FRED C. EARLE, J. H. SHUMWAY.

